looking for DARYL HATTENS friends...im his daughter

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daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
Topic Author's Original Post - May 13, 2006 - 03:36pm PT
Hello everyone. This might sound wierd to you, but im Daryl Hatten's daughter and i want to know more about him because i did not know him very well so if anyone has any information please let me know, it would be very much appreciated. Thankyou...janelle
Toker Villain

Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
May 13, 2006 - 07:28pm PT
One time in '76 a bunch of us were sitting around a table in C4 when one of the demi-gods himself, Yvon of Coonyard strolls through.

The boldest among us, one Daryl Hatten, without consulting the rest leaps to his feet and calls out," Hey Yvon! Wanna see how to use a tube chock as a bong?"

Intrigued (perhaps this is a canadian thing eh?) Yvon saunters over to the table as the rest of us look on in nervous awe.
"I made tube chocks so that you didn't HAVE to use bongs."

We had sinned. We had violated the laws of gear evolution. We shook and wept with shame.
"No no" says Daryl, and produces a tube chock with tape over one end as well as the opposing two holes. Into the one 'slider wider' hole there is a thimble with numerous tiny holes punched through it. Into this is placed some herbage and Daryl proceeds to light up and puff away happily.

He then hands the contraption to the great Coonyard himself and we hold our breath involuntarily.
Gingerly at first the gear impresario inhales from the open tube and then releases his finger from the carb.

Suddenly he belches out a cloud of weed coughing uncontrolably and we all laugh in relief.

Daryl was a rascal. I'll miss him.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
Topic Author's Reply - May 14, 2006 - 10:33am PT
hello...i live in saskatchewan....i was in contact with bob odom(i dont kno how to spell it)...he had sent me some money...i havent been in contact with the other people though...i have never even heard of them...i only found out about my dad because my brother was reading the newspaper one day...and by then it was too late.
TheHip

Trad climber
Squamish, BC
May 14, 2006 - 11:11am PT
Hello,
There are a number of people in the Squamish area who can provide you with lots of information and stories. I would suggest contacting Kevin McLane (guidebook author and general Squamish historian) through his website (www.elaho.ca) or via email (stone@elaho.ca)

I can provide you with more contact information if you send me an email,

Good luck, and I hope this helps!
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
Topic Author's Reply - May 14, 2006 - 10:29pm PT
wow you guys thankyou soo much....i didnt think anyone would help but this is soo awsm and i appreciate it soo much...THANKYOU!!!
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
Topic Author's Reply - May 15, 2006 - 01:42pm PT
welll he left us when i was two and i hadnt been in contact with him since then and then one day my brother was reading the edmonton sun newspaper and he called me up and was liek nell...im sorry to tell u this but...yur dad died....and i didnt really know him..i didnt even know what he did for a living. i just knew he was my dad and that maybe one day i would have met him...but now it wont happen. Thankyou for everyones responses. I was just wanting to find out more about him from people that knew him. I thought it would be interesting. Its awesome that i found this site!
nature

climber
Flagstaff, AZ
May 15, 2006 - 01:56pm PT
This is a neat thread. I hope there will be more input and I hope you learn more about your dad. I'll be keeping an eye on it.

Good luck to you.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
Topic Author's Reply - May 15, 2006 - 02:02pm PT
yea i hope so too there is sooo many stories on the internet and its pretty neat.
Jaybro

Social climber
The West
May 15, 2006 - 03:01pm PT
I didnt' know him that well, but he had one of the most unassuming, off the cuff sense of humors I've ever been around. And he wasn't afraid to laugh at himself.
Dru

climber
HELL, BABY, HELL!
May 15, 2006 - 03:07pm PT
If you can get ahold of Alpinist, Issue ten
http://www.alpinist.com/issues/Alpinist_X/

There is a nice obit by Angus Theurmer with some good stories.
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
May 15, 2006 - 08:37pm PT
Here are some fun stories:

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=168450
Wonder

climber
WA
May 15, 2006 - 10:06pm PT
I was gonna send you over there too. I first met Daryl in Idyllwild when a bunch of us lived in pine cove. maybe even before. He was hardcore. When i got to the YV Daryl had 1/2 of a YOSAR bear box. I dont think he was on the team but he let me share his 1/2 of the box. He was always my good friend. I lived in BC for 8 years and I always wondered if I would see him again.So now Im with you, it just wont happen.
PS that was like 1978?????1976??????Oh well that how we lived in those days.
quartziteflight

climber
May 15, 2006 - 10:10pm PT
hiya. this is a cool thread. I never met your dad, but from what I've read his attitude about climbing was venerable. You may read some hurtfull crap about the way he went. Some said by the ignorant some by the envious. In my humble opinion I think trying to save someones pet is an honorable way to go. I hope you find what you're looking for. peace...
Jaybro

Social climber
The West
May 15, 2006 - 10:31pm PT
What Quartz said. A special friend of mine broke her back in an attempt to save her cat in a tree. Three months in a body cast, but she still managed to do a 16 mile ski tour on her 50th birthday a month out of that long cast; she was lucky.

She is sick of people telling her how stupid this move was and has acknowldeged the same. Would she do it again? Two years later, I had to remove the ladder from her and helped coax the, same, cat down. Some things you gotta do. She is one of my personnal heros.

I can only imagine Darryl weighing the odds and knowing what he had to do.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
Topic Author's Reply - May 16, 2006 - 01:13pm PT
hey no dont worry about it...it wasnt insensitive..you were just curious. Yes, some of the stories i have read on other sites make me a bit angry but its okay..he made some choices and im not guna judge him for that. To tell you the truth, i was angry that he had to die saving a cta.. it seemed so uselss even though i love animals...but i was just angry because now i wont have then chance...but i also look at it as 'he was doing the right think in helping and it was heroic...or could've been. Anyways thankyou again
Anastasia

Trad climber
Near a mountain, CA
May 16, 2006 - 05:18pm PT
DH's daughter, that was a very wise and kind response. You have more class in your pinkie then most will have during their whole lives. Who ever raised you did a great job.

I am sorry that I never met your Dad...
Yet let me say one thing since I do know death from my experience with Cancer, I would rather have an early death from trying to save a cat then experiencing it in later years wasting away in a hospital bed.
Your Dad died the way he lived life; it was unexpected and unique.
I am sorry that you never met him. I don't know what his reaction would have been meeting you, but I can give you my own impression... " Your a wonderful girl. I would be very blessed to have a daughter like you. No matter what anyone says about your generation, children are meant to go farther, be better then their parents."
If you ever can get to Yosemite, Joshua Tree or anywhere else in California... Let me know, I'll show up with my teenage niece and take you both climbing. It would be my joy... Plus, if you get there with your family... I will take the whole clan climbing!
Anastasia
Wayno

Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
May 16, 2006 - 05:42pm PT
I heard about this thread from a cascadeclimbers thread and thought i should reply. I only knew your dad for a week but we did climb the NWface of Half Dome together. I had heard alot about him from friends of mine that knew him pretty well. He was a lot of fun to be with with and he had awesome climbing skills. I learned a lot about aid climbing and big walls in those few days, and he inspired me to eventually get up El Capitan a couple times. I went to his memorial service on top of the Chief in Squamish with a couple of other yanks that knew him pretty well. It was an incredible experience to meet all those friends of his on top that rock in the rain and pass his wall hammer around and tell wonderful stories about our experiences with a guy with such a big heart and soul. Those are the guys you really need to talk to. What a great thing to say about a guy than all those good friends... We got very drunk and wet that night at the bottom huddled around a campfire saying this is the way Daryl would of liked it.
lightweight_yank

Trad climber
Sparx
May 16, 2006 - 05:47pm PT
Dear Janelle, your father was a very dear friend of mine and I miss him greatly. Like you, we lost touch and I looked for him several times over the years (the only reason I joined the forum on rockclimbing.com). I was within hours or days of finding him when he died. I was one of the three Yanks from California who came to his memorial at Squamish, and I also brought back the remainder of his ashes to Yosemite to be spread from the top of his favorite crag -- El Capitan.

Fortunately, I saw your Aunt Darlene at the memorial, and I want to make sure you get in touch with her -- Daryl loved her so. Darlene and I talked about you that night and wondered how to find you. She also told me Daryl's dying words, which I will share with you when we have a private moment. Please e-mail me and I'll call you. You have a proud heritage girl - Daryl was a hero. -Richard
Largo

Sport climber
Venice, Ca
May 16, 2006 - 05:52pm PT
"welll he left us when i was two and i hadnt been in contact with him since"

All I can tell you is that the Daryl Hatten I knew (fairly well, at that) does not square with him doing what is written above. At all. I have no doubt that what you wrote is true, that he did leave, but I certainly can't tell you why, and I'm sure Daryl couldn't either because that was not his nature at all. It must have been very hard on him, and I'd bet my life that he thought about you every day that he was alive because that's the way the guy was made, even if he acted differently.

JL
lightweight_yank

Trad climber
Sparx
May 16, 2006 - 06:07pm PT
Well said John. As I recall, you're one of the few who saw past Daryl's bravado and Canadian logger image to see the wonderful and sensitive person he was. I lived and traveled with Daryl for almost a year and got to see that side of him too.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
Topic Author's Reply - May 16, 2006 - 10:08pm PT
first off, anastasia....im soo sorry *hug* i cant say i kno what you are going through but im sorry that you have to. What you said to me brought tears to my eyes. All i can say is thankyou for making my day and that i am sorry to hear about your battle with cancer. i wish the best of luck to you..and who knowns..maybe someday ill come home and ill look you up:)
second...richard...yes i talked to my aunt darlene several times shes an amazingly nice person and im glad they contacted me. She sent me some articles and pictures and such in a booklet recently which made me search the internet more..and im SOOO glad i did. Yes i will email you..so watch for it :P....and i realize my dad was a hero...thankyou.:)
third...Largo. yes...i dont exactly know what happened, and i certainly dont hold it against him. My mom and my dad couldnt get along...and im ok with that. It sounds like he had a better life than he would have had with us so im happy he had a good life. I just havent ever met him since i was 2 and i missed out.
Anastasia

Trad climber
Near a mountain, CA
May 16, 2006 - 11:45pm PT
Now stop that!!! "Blush.." I don't want you to worry about me. (I feel horrible for making you cry...)
The fact is my cancer is in remission so I'm presently in good health. Now don't jinx my recovery with thinking that I'm back in the battle. (I am sorry for not speaking more clearly about my situation)
I just brought up my Cancer days so you would know where my ideas of a "good death" come from. I wanted you to know "why" I thought having an exit like Daryl's would be an honor. Especially since death is always horrible... I wanted you to know that my view came from deep within my soul and my own fears.
(It was my response to those who would think Daryl's exit as being a silly way to go.)
Anyway, please do visit Yosemite one day. I'll love to take you climbing... Something tells me it is in your blood.
Anastasia
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - May 17, 2006 - 08:46am PT
Oh...well thats very good that your in remission. Good luck with that. haha i dont kno if climbing is in my blood lol im pretty clumbsy but id love to try it...i open to new experiences:). No i didnt cry because i was upset i cried because im emotional and that was very nice of you to say. It made me feel special. thankyou.
Largo

Sport climber
Venice, Ca
May 17, 2006 - 02:11pm PT
Hey, Janelle:

Can you post a picture of yourelf? A lot of us feel like your long lost uncle.

Thanks,

JL
Toker Villain

Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
May 17, 2006 - 04:44pm PT
bump
Hardman Knott

Gym climber
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca
May 18, 2006 - 06:45pm PT
Janelle, to post the pic you need to go to this website:

http://imageshack.us/

And then click Choose File, navigate to the pic, and then click Host.
Then go to Direct Link To Image and copy that URL and post it here.
If you want the pic to show up right in the thread, use the method
shown here: (under Image)

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/forum_help.html

Or just e-mail someone the pic and they can do it for you
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - May 18, 2006 - 08:02pm PT
For those of you who wanted to see my picture, here it is. It was taken on my 17th birthday. thankyou HK..ill try this again....please let me know if it doesnt werk and ill figure sumthing out haha
http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bdaysmiling2tl.jpg
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - May 18, 2006 - 08:18pm PT
hey thankyou so much.
"it might be possible that your existence was kept secret from Daryl. That would not be the first time it has happened"
do u mean he has other children or just that something was kept from him....sorry i dont know what that means.
Also, he knew about me because i have pictures of him holding me and he was around until i was two. He wasnt allowed to see me because something happened between him and my mom and it wasnt pretty. He wwas definately shut out and i wish he wouldnt have been. I was told some bad stuff about him but i wanted to kno more about him because i didnt thikn he was like that but i didnt know. I realize now that either people change or people arent as bad as others make them out to be and im just mad at myself for believing that my whole life, because now i missed out on a chance of a lifetime. Growing up, i always wanted to meet my dad 'one day'. I guess it's never goin to happen. but thankyou again.
Anastasia

Trad climber
Near a mountain, CA
May 18, 2006 - 08:45pm PT
That worked...
Nice picture.
Let me just say this even though you probably have already heard this...
"We old gals sometimes need to talk just like old dogs needs to bark when strangers pass by."
"Sorry, but I really, really, need to bark..."
BE CAREFUL on this net and don't go anywhere alone to meet one of us. Please take an adult escort with you; "preferable someone big, mean and ugly..."
Your too cute for comfort.
Call me paranoid, but I like you... I think the world is a better place because you exist. (I never want to see your face on a missing poster.)
As for climbing and being clumsy. I am clumsy too. Climbing is a very different activity. Nothing you have ever done will be able to predict you ability for this sport. I have seen athletes, dancers and gymnast fail on the rock. I have also seen a man with a prosthetic arm outdo most of us on his first day climbing. (I am still in awe over his ability.)
Remember, you won't know if climbing is for you until you have tried it. I hope one day you would... (I really love this sport and want to share it with everyone.)
Whenever your ready for a climbing trip... (Next week, month, year, decade...)
My offer will always stand... (Just remind me about this post. I might mistake you for one of my students.)
My email is: mesocivilized@yahoo.com

Smiles,
Anastasia


daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - May 18, 2006 - 08:54pm PT
haha awe thanx....no dont worry im not too stupid lol i dont like creepy people and im careful. But thanks for the heads up.
I have been to rockclimbing places and i liked it. I would like to try it again and i will definately hafta take you up on youre offer somday. Thankyou
Anastasia

Trad climber
Near a mountain, CA
May 18, 2006 - 09:26pm PT

As for bad stuff about your Dad...
We all are idiots, have been horrible etc. We also all have had moments of extreme intelligence and been the equal of angels. All of us are walking around with good and bad sides.
I am sure your father was no different.
Just remember that in some relationships the worst side is brought out of us. Things happen and they can scar everyone involved. I once knew a couple that as individuals were really great, but... When they were together, they were the worst people on the planet. They kept getting worse until everything exploded into a really horrible breakup. (I felt bad for both of them.)
I am sure that if your mom told you about some horrible stuff, it probably is true. I also know that the it must have scarred her. It must have hurt her very much to fall in love with someone, have a child with him and in two years need to leave. When that happens, she must have pushed away all the good memories to survive the heart ache. Don't resent her for not bothering to remember your father in any good light. I would take that as a sign that she must have really loved him.

Anyway, don't ever forget that we "all" have two sides. We try to marry people that bring the best out of us and forgive us of our worst. Sometimes without anyone meaning it, that doesn't happen. Instead we end up with darkness even when the people involved are worth so much more...
Please, beware of trying to figure it out. You can drive yourself nuts with the need to discover the truth. The fact is that the truth during emotional events is perceptual. Everyone will have a version. The truth will not exist as a fact. The event can never be resolved because the people that created it never resolved it.
Instead, I would take the time to learn about your two fault filled humans that became your parents.
If you can love them despite their faults, you are a complete person. Especially since we all must love ourselves and others despite our dark sides.
AF

Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
May 18, 2006 - 10:17pm PT
Hi, Janelle. After Daryl got out of juvie, he joined the Uvic Rock Scaling Club which was formed by myself and a couple of non-climbing friends (that's a long story in itself), and I soon became his mentor and climbing partner until I got married and Daryl started spending increasing time hanging around in Yosemite. We remained friends, but we did most of our climbing together mainly on Vancouver Island and Squamish. For what it's worth, I am reasonably certain that he and I did the first ascents of walls in Squamish accomplished by Island climbers. I knew Daryl for his entire climbing career & was in contact with him until shortly before his tragic death.

Also, I knew Darlene, your grandmother Kate, and Fred and have met your grandfather and Peter, but only tangentially.

I have hundreds of pictures and slides, some postcards, letters and a few other odds and sods connected to Daryl in my possession.

Should you wish to establish my bona fides, I met Darlene at Daryl's memorial in Squamish and gave her a stuffed (fake)mouse that your grandmother Kate hid in our haulbag prior to one of our climbs in Squamish. Also, I gave her a postcard from Kate to Daryl that had inadvertantly ended up in my possession. Greg Foweraker is also a good friend of mine and hopefully he can confirm that I am not someone trying to waste your time. Furthermore, I was briefly quoted in Alpinist X (the best climbing magazine in North America)along with a picture of us climbing on Zodiac Wall. Also, in Alpinist 12, a letter from me was published that mentioned an amusing incident that involved Daryl, Greg and I.

Feel free to contact me once you are assured that I am for real. Take it easy with some of the other contact suggestions - lots of others DID spend various periods of time with Daryl, but many of the people who knew him best were from Vancouver Island, along with a few people in Squamish and probably many more in Yosemite. Unfortunately, I am hesitant to freely offer the specific names I am aware of without first having obtained their permission.

All the best, Janelle - I sincerely hope life treats you kindly. I knew Daryl at his best and genuinely considered him to be the little brother I never had. I will miss him.

P.S.: I also have a couple of Polaroids of you as a baby - one of you, Greg and Daryl -I think (I'd have to look for it) along with another of you sitting alone playing with a #10 hex, or maybe a tube chock.

P.P.S.: Take care with learning the climbing game - the cliffs aren't going anywhere, so don't be afraid to err on the side of caution - your father was the safest climber I have known, but everyone makes mistakes.
Largo

Sport climber
Venice, Ca
May 18, 2006 - 10:24pm PT
You look very sweet--almost exactly like I figured, but far more beautiful. I know for a fact that you dad would have been very proud of you. We are, in his place.

JL
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - May 18, 2006 - 10:25pm PT
Awe thankyou very much! Wow...thats some deep thinking . Yea, im not mad at them. My mom never otl me the stories because i was too young to understand. But my aunt only tells me what my mom told her which is basically the bad parts. I love them both and they will always be in my heart. I cant not love them (haha) they were and are my parents and there will always be that special part inside me for them.
Stewart-why was he in Juvie? what did he do?
Loomis

climber
Praha, Ceska Republika
May 18, 2006 - 10:40pm PT
Janelle, I just spoke with a friend on the phone, told him about your post here on supertopo. He knew your father well. Your father taught him how to aid climb (years ago). His name is Chuck Clance and he lives in the bay area. Chuck is not Computer savy, but has a wealth of stories to tell you about your late father. Please check your e-mail for contact info, Scott.

BTW: After a quick tutorial, Clance will be posting here.

Toker Villain

Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
May 18, 2006 - 10:43pm PT
And don't listen to Anasthesia. She doesn't know what she's talking about. Take TWO big mean, ugly guys.
Hardman Knott

Gym climber
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca
May 18, 2006 - 10:55pm PT
Janelle, I met Chuck Clance at Lover's Leap right after your dad died.
He told me he was a very good friend of Daryl, and was trying to get more info.
He was very bummed to hear the news.
I told him about the threads that were posted on the climbing websites.

Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
May 18, 2006 - 11:11pm PT
Boy, that was a fast response. I honestly didn't want to ask, so I can only guess it was for some kind of minor hell-raising, or possibly a marijuana bust - the law was pretty heavy on all but the "purest" teenagers. Sorry I can't tell you more, but either Peter or your grandfather could probably answer that one...
Toker Villain

Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
May 18, 2006 - 11:16pm PT
But Zardoz, strangers WILL touch your pee pee. lol
lightweight_yank

Trad climber
Sparx
May 18, 2006 - 11:41pm PT
Dang! Janelle, you look so much like your Dad...but cute! I had a wonderful conversation with your Aunt Darlene last night, and she's so proud of you. Please ignore half of the idiotic comments posted here, but there are also some people here who are your true friends -- Largo, Greg Foweraker, and obviously Anastasia.
Toker Villain

Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
May 18, 2006 - 11:58pm PT
I like to joke around but I'm for you 110%.

My parents died many years ago. I would like to have known them better.
Two weeks ago I met with my stepmom in New York and for the first time she told me what happened the night my dad died 21 years ago.
lightweight_yank

Trad climber
Sparx
May 19, 2006 - 12:46am PT
Guys - Daryl's daughter just turned seventeen, so let's keep the crude comments to a minimum. Besides, I'd hate to be you if Daryl (or his friends) ever caught you talking like that to his little girl (even though he was hardly an example in this regard - sigh.)
Loomis

climber
Praha, Ceska Republika
May 19, 2006 - 01:03am PT
Wonder, yea he is...
Wonder

climber
WA
May 19, 2006 - 01:11am PT
Well, that one more miracle!
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
May 19, 2006 - 02:58am PT
Well, Wonder and Janelle...one of the things about those days was that I was married with kids and a full time job at the time, and Daryl and many others didn't. This was around the time that he started regularly heading alone over to the mainland to Squamish & Yosemite (mainly), and although we still did stuff together, he had other partners for his best new Squamish routes - unfortunately, I'm not sure what BITD refers to. As far as my rapidly fading memories of those days go he climbed a pile of new wall routes inluding Pan Granitic Frogman, Son of Pan, Negro Lesbian (right beside the Black Dyke for those unfamiliar with either Squamish or his sense of humour), and Getting Down on the Brown. I could easily be missing others, but I remember him being quite pleased with himself for the first ascent of Up from the Skies, which had a reputation for being a particularly hairy route, and I believe that he did that one with Eric Weinstein, another Squamish legend, also sadly no longer with us.

I could easily check some of this stuff out if I had my collection of Squamish guidebooks by various authors easily available. In my opinion, the best of the bunch was written by a fellow named Gordie Smaill, who shared a similarly irreverent attitude with Daryl towards climbing and gives a very real sense of the the tone of the times back then. I digress. Smaill was the author who first included the bulk of Daryl's new route activities, but just about any book published since 1976(?) should have every one of his significant ascents listed. The only other thing that may be of interest that I can quickly remember was his first free ascent of the Split Pillar on Grand Wall (with Eric), which at the time was an amazing feat.

Hope this info is of some use and accurate, to boot.

P.S. (to Wonder) - the next time I steal a car & if the cops are chasing me through Qualicum at the time, I'll be sure to wave to your wife on the way through.
lightweight_yank

Trad climber
Sparx
May 19, 2006 - 03:03am PT
I thought Qualicum was somewhere in San Diego ;-)
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
May 19, 2006 - 03:11am PT
Dear lightweight yank: I am certain that your Qualicum near San Diego is every bit as lovely as ours.
lightweight_yank

Trad climber
Sparx
May 19, 2006 - 03:43am PT
Dear Stewie, I'm positive that it isn't, but by now I have consumed enough ETOH that I am unable to discern the difference...thanks for the clarification. Great to see you at the Chieftain 2 years ago...
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
May 19, 2006 - 03:50am PT
Stewart,

BITD = Back In The Day
Largo

Sport climber
Venice, Ca
May 19, 2006 - 11:44am PT
Off topic (just for a second) but when and how did Eric Weinstein die?? Somehow I missed that.

JL
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
May 19, 2006 - 12:32pm PT
Janelle,
Clearly you can see that Daryl was well loved and enmeshed in a very tight knit yet widespread community. I wasn't close, but I did spend time with him and I can say he had a well earned character. He was mischieveous, fun, daring and all that good stuff we applaud as climbers.

This is a very heartfelt situation; we benefited directly from time spent with him and you missed out on that. I sincerely hope that we as a group are filling in some of the blanks, as well as contributing to your esteem of your father. He had a good heart and was a good man.


Best,
Roy.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - May 19, 2006 - 12:51pm PT
haha well the people who knew ym dad say i look like him and the people who knew my mom growing up say i look like her...and fromt he pictures of my mom i look so much like here but i have like my dads jaw and eyes so i dunno. a bit of both i suppose.
lightweight_yank

Trad climber
Sparx
May 19, 2006 - 02:50pm PT
I never met Eric Weinstein - but Daryl often spoke of him. When I was in Squamish for Daryl's memorial, someone told me that Eric had been dignosed with terminal cancer back in the '80s, and that he just walked off into the wilderness of Northern California to die alone. I don't remember who told me this, but at the time I considered it a reliable source.
johnx01

Trad climber
UK
May 19, 2006 - 06:00pm PT
Hats off to you guys


I respect this group so much in the way you have handled this delicate situaion. My wife is a child therapist and I showed her this thread she has known climbers all her life and we were both touched by what you all wrote in a clear, supportive and unambigous way.

Daryl, take care, your dad sounded great. Adults are a bit weird.

Take care of your brother(blokes are fragile in a way girls aren't).


Cheers John

jack herer

climber
chico, ca
May 19, 2006 - 06:04pm PT
daryl hattens daughter- i dont know if youve seeked out enough information about your father, but i know there are a lot of local canadian/bc climbers over at www.cascadeclimbers.com message boards
johnx01

Trad climber
UK
May 19, 2006 - 06:16pm PT
Apologies Janelle

I got your first name wrong, I hope you didn't get upset

 t/c John
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - May 19, 2006 - 06:55pm PT
hahah thats alright. Yes im soo thankful that everyone responded and are helping me out so much i cant believe this is happening. I didnt think people would believe me so i was skeptical about trying it but i figured...what do i have to lose. THANKYOU all SOO much.
Anastasia

Trad climber
Near a mountain, CA
May 20, 2006 - 01:32am PT
Zardoz,
Your not female... The world is a very different place when you are a girl.
Before you tell me the world is actually safe, check this site out...
http://www.wavaw.ca/informed_stats.php
This is a fact: One in four Canadian women will be sexually assaulted during her lifetime.
(This statistic does not cover physical assaults, murder, and disappearances.)

I don't understand why a guy would bother to lock his house but at the same time won't walk his female acquaintance to the car.
The sad truth is that she is more likely to be assaulted then the house.

Everyone should participate on making sure their women are safe.
Janelle, always use that beautiful head of yours,
take care...
Anastasia
jack herer

climber
chico, ca
May 20, 2006 - 01:57am PT
daryl hattens daughter- now this thread has started over at cascade climbers.

here:
http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/572385/an/0/page/0/gonew/1#UNREAD
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
May 20, 2006 - 02:39am PT
Dear Clint Cummins and Lightweight Yank: Thanks for the translation - now how about ETOH? Is that chemical shorthand for your legendary Everclear, whose counterpart up here is only available by uh, permanently borrowing a supply from chemistry labs and hospitals?

LightweightYank - I have little doubt that we met a the Memorial. By any chance were you the guy that I gave the empty Spam can to with the message scratched on it by Daryl during our comic opera assault on Zodiac Wall? About the only things I clearly remembered about that evenings revelry were that I gave the artifact to a Yank, and that I promised myself that I would never drink that much alcohol again, ever.

A note for Anastasia - I agree with most of your comments, and I have had close relationships with women who have been the victims of all kinds of violence, have heard their stories and felt some of their pain and anger. With respect, nevertheless, I find it a little bit irritating that you seem to imply that women are the only victims of violence - innocent men also get raped, abused, and/or physically assaulted. EVERY guy that I have known well enough to discuss this stuff with has at one point or another been a victim of one or more of the above at one point or another in his life, but they lose macho points for talking about it publicly. How about trying to say that it is wrong for ANY human being to be abused by others? It might cut down on some of the admittedly cheap shots that have been taken at you in this forum, which is supposed to be about Daryl and Janelle.

As for your personal safety, Janelle - be assured that there are probably a few hundred big, tough climbers around who would be happy to tear a potential assailant to pieces for you, if required.
lightweight_yank

Trad climber
Sparx
May 20, 2006 - 04:21am PT
Stew - you did meet me, though only briefly, but you gave my friend Dave Yerian the inscribed Spam can. You guessed it, EtOH is what organic chemists call ethyl alcohol, or ethanol. I managed to stay relatively sober the night of the memorial (unlike last night); I spent most of the time talking to Daryl's sister and her husband. I must admit that I was overwhelmed by both the outpouring of love for Daryl and the hospitality you guys showed us Yanks. I remember when we passed around Daryl's Yo hammer, how you mentioned the water incident and how gracious he was -- that's the Daryl I remember.
Anastasia

Trad climber
Near a mountain, CA
May 20, 2006 - 04:31am PT
(Smiling)
This is about Janelle... She is why my mothering instincts went up on high alert. She's young and pretty. Plus she is posting on the net which can attract the wrong characters.
That is why I focused on woman's violence.

Now don't feel left out, I worry about you too. If your ever around, I will try to over feed you and make you wear your jacket at the slightest breeze. I'll protect you from evil men and women to the best of my ability. It is a Greek thing.

Though seriously, I do agree with you that everyone should be spared having the experience of violence. This is not just a girl/woman thing. We should all watch our backs. That is why I worry... Now don't take my post out of context. I am not a man hater, I don't see danger at every corner.
I just want to make my point powerful enough to keep Janelle well protected by her own conscious. She is smart enough to use the information correctly. Plus, she is the only person that will always be with her when facing such obstacles.

Anastasia


daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - May 20, 2006 - 10:12am PT
wow you guys...looks like i have people that care haha. I understand what both of you are saying and i totally agree with b oth. Thankyou for worrying but please dont get upset about this...ill be careful i promise.

jack-thankyou for the link to cascadeclimbers....thats neat also.
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
May 20, 2006 - 07:04pm PT
*bump*

hey anastasia, you are going to be a star wife and mom someday.

i hope you get to meet lisa at some point.
when in boulder, look us up.
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
May 20, 2006 - 08:50pm PT
Anastasia - I hope I didn't offend you. Your mothering insincts sparkle throughout your postings here, and I share your rage about violence against women, particularly since women tend to be smaller than men and less inclined towards violenct behaviour - I have believed since childhood that coward is the kindest name for someone who unleashes violence against a helpless opponent. How about directing Janelle to some of the better internet sites dedicated to discussing this subject? That way, other people on this forum who also wish to follow this thread can continue the discussion without having to endure the aforementioned cheap shots...

On lighter note, but before I get started, I am a total rookie in terms of participating in these sort of forums, so please go easy on me in terms of lapses of e-manners, etc. I offer my profuse apologies in advance to those I may accidentally offend by my ignorance.

Back to Daryl, and my thanks to lightweight yank for the info and clarification. By the way, does everyone know that "lightweight" is a term that as far as I know Daryl imported into the climbing world, and was used regularly and without mercy?

Here's another Daryl story: Many years ago in the days of the UVic Rock Scaling club, I regularly led groups of people into a place on southern Vancouver Island called Sansum Narrows - it's got acres of unclimbed rock, but the approach is a horror show - a maze of partially overgrown trails, logging roads, etc., and god help anyone who gets lost. Anyway, I had been in there probably twenty or thirty times and Daryl and I were heading in with a bunch of beginners. We came to one of the crucial crossroads and a debate arose between Daryl & I about the proper direction. The debate became quite heated, culminating in me declaring that "you go wherever you want - I'm going this way." Mercifully for them, the beginners followed Daryl, and I went storming off into the shadows. Soon enough, I realized that even for me, I had just made a serious navigational error. No problem, since I had at least a general idea of the layout of the area, so I took another promising trail and soon knew exactly where I was - way off route. The only way out was several miles of the foulest bushwhacking imaginable, culminating in the crossing of of a shallow river bordered by some of the foulest smelling mud flats in the galaxy, and then a slog along a dusty road under a baking sun just to get back to the start point. Finally, I appeared in the midst of all the beginners, who had the good sense to keep their mouths shut, since I was clearly not in a good mood. I spotted Daryl in a midst of a few of the more depraved beginners, rolling a joint and perched on the edge of a 300 foot cliff. As I approached, their conversation slowly ceased. I was covered in mud, twigs, and I don't know what else, but must have resembled some bog monster from darkest regions of hell. Daryl just glanced at me and went back to rolling the joint. A moment of silence ensued, and I thought that was the end of my ordeal. Nope. Still intent on his work, Daryl said, "that's the dumbest thing I've ever seen anybody do in my life". These were nearly his final words, since it took an act of heroic self-control on my part not to punt him over the edge of the abyss.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - May 20, 2006 - 11:17pm PT
hah that would've sucked but at the same time i can picture it and its funny ...
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
May 21, 2006 - 03:17am PT
Yeah - that's why people aren't supposed to yield to those kind of impulses. Think of what would have been lost...

Here's another one, but don't forget that I was born five years before Daryl and when I first ran into him, he wasn't much of a free climber and even less of an aid climber. I finally realized that he had a pretty steep learning curve one day when I was gearing up to lead a route, and was with Tom Egan and Claudia Hand (one of the best of the very few female rock climbers on Vancouver Island in those days). I was facing away from the cliff not paying attention to what Daryl was up to, and Tom and Claudia seemed to be looking at me, but not making much eye contact. Finally, I got the picture. Turning around, I couldn't see Daryl at first, but finally thought to look up - the bugger had just finished soloing the route that I was intending to lead. Now I had to find something harder, which didn't particularly please me, since I was feeling particularly faint-hearted that day.

A sad, but relevant footnote to the story: Tom was one of the best rock climbers on the Island (and no slouch as a mountaineer, either) in those days and a hell of a good guy. I remember one evening us heading up to Sansum Narrows in the new (used) vehicle of a worthless jerk who also was a member of our circle. Anyway, the idea of thrashing to the base of the cliffs seemed like a dumb idea at the time, particularly since we had a couple of perfectly good cases of beer with us. It seem like a great idea to get really drunk and head in the next morning. Soon, I became uh, drowsy, and crawled into my sleeping bag. I was just drifting off when I heard a whoop, a screech of brakes and the sound of metal bending suddenly and nearby. The place where we were sleeping was beside the road at the top of a hill leading to a corner on the unpaved road to Maple Bay. It seems that Tom and Daryl decided that we needed some more beer and, unbeknownst to the owner were heading into town to remedy the situation and forgot to turn the steering wheel to the left at the bottom of the hill, or maybe they were both trying to turn it in different directions. Strangely enough, the owner was somewhat annoyed that they had pranged his car on its maiden voyage. Come to think of it, he was almost hysterical with rage and was trying to explain how annoyed he was to the perpetrators, but they were laughing so hysterically that he eventually gave up and stormed off back up the hill uttering dark threats about what was going to happen to those guys in the morning.

Tragically, Tom was killed a few months later. I remember talking to Daryl about it, and suggested that we do a memorial route for poor Tom. Daryl didn't say much at the time, and I was still thinking about a suitable location when, during this interval, Daryl headed off and I didn't see him for a while. When he got back, he told me that (definitely not his words - it wasn't his style to brag)he had done a major new route named after Tom in the Bugaboos. It is still considered a respectable ascent for just about anybody even today. I have no doubt that Tom would have been overwhelmed at the thoughtfulness of this gesture.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - May 21, 2006 - 10:30am PT
awe im sorry for your loss...
Anastasia

Trad climber
Near a mountain, CA
May 21, 2006 - 08:45pm PT
No offense taken, I thought we were just having a good debate. Debates must have at least one good argument; without it a conclusion has no substance.

Thanks Tarbuster for the compliment, I will look you up when I get a chance. Lisa sounds terrific. Don't forget to do the same when your near/in Southern California.

lightweight_yank

Trad climber
Sparx
May 22, 2006 - 01:21am PT
Thanks for those memories Stew. As all climbers know, it can be really hard to find a good climbing partner; that person with whom you can trust your life unquestionably; who shares your goals and dreams; who both encourages and challenges you to push harder, and do things you didn't know you could do. Daryl was just such a person, and oddly, his death had an unexpected result in that regard.

Although there was only three of us who made it up from California to Squamish for the memorial; there were several of Daryl's friends who couldn't. One of those was Mike Hernandez, and when I got back home with the remainder of Daryl's ashes that Jim Brennan had given me, Mike helped me get those ashes to the top of the Captain where Daryl's spirit rests. Although I had met Mike over 20 years ago, I didn't really know him, but the experience drew us close, and we found that we were both looking for a climbing partner. Whom else could you trust so implicitly? So automatically? And with such unqualified love as one who had also been one of Daryl's friends? You Canadians showed us that that night at Squamish, and Mike and I have been climbing together ever since. Thanks Daryl.
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
May 22, 2006 - 01:52am PT
Thanks, Janelle - Tom was a really good guy. He was far from a beginner, but he was just starting to get a lot better when he was killed.

Sometimes, I can be quite stupid about the things I write, so here's something I want to make abundantly clear - there was a fair amount of recreational drinking and drug abuse back then, and many climbers in those days were a pretty wild crowd, probably because the climbing world that I knew was a pretty counter-culture activity and not the mainstream industry that it is today: you don't get many style points for getting regularly falling down drunk amongst your peers any more. Having said that and, in spite of some of these stories I have posted, I don't want you for one second to think that I'm glamourizing that kind of behaviour - extreme sports mixed with dope and/or booze is a very easy way to end up dead. When Daryl hung around with the UVic Rock Scaling Club, we kept an eye out for each other - for example, when we stopped off at the bar one of us always took on the designated driver role and drank pop while the rest of us got plastered. At the end of the evening, it was his/her responsibility to make sure the rest of us got home in one piece, and in Squamish, there was an area where we camped called "Psyche Ledge" where we did most of our partying AFTER the cars were parked for the evening. I'd be lying if I said that there was no drinking and driving going on, but precious little that I was aware of - not to mention that the laws against that kind of conduct were a lot looser - no breathalyzer tests, for example.

Try not to think of me as too much of a hypocrite when I ask you to steer clear of that kind of stuff at the very least until you're older. Too many people get killed stupidly at a young age before they have even begun the very best part of their lives because of dope or booze, and it would break the hearts of hundreds of people people you have never met if something happened to you. I believe that Daryl would STILL be hanging out in Yosemite (or wherever) if he had been able to control his partying a bit better - perhaps there would be fewer stories to tell about his legendary activities on the ground, but he surely would have done even more amazing stuff on the walls and in the mountains had he been able to better avoid those temptations.

Just one example: Daryl's climbing resume makes mine look pretty pathetic, but one day we were bouldering down at Fleming Beach in Victoria with a bunch of other people and Daryl had been drinking a lot more than I realized. He headed up the cliff to set up a top rope by a route that was easy enough for me to climb unroped and without the slightest fear. I had my back to him when I heard an ugly sound behind me - he had fallen off, fortunately with only minor injuries.

Here's a story I told at the Memorial on top of the Chief that highlights Daryl's gentler side: After we decided to head down Zodiac Wall after having turned back about 5 feet from the end of the climbing difficulties, I was in a foul mood for a variety of reasons - not the least being that we might have made it if we hadn't been hauling so much garbage along (the third member of the group). We were getting ready to bivi for the night, and I was still sulking when Daryl reached into my pack and handed me a bunch of photos I had along with me (before we had started the climb, I had mentioned that my wife-to-be had given me some photos of her for good luck, and he didn't seem to have heard me). What he said when he handed them to me up there was "Here, man - groove."

Hope that last story was worth enduring the lecture...
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
May 22, 2006 - 02:05am PT
Dear lightweight yank: I was deeply impressed that you guys had taken so much trouble to come up there to say goodbye to your friend, and to carry some of his spirit back to the Valley. I don't get over to Squamish much these days due to poor health and worse financial circumstances, but stay in touch if you're heading up here again & maybe we'll meet again when I'm more capable of coherent conversation. He was lucky to have pals like you down there, and it was a privilege to have met you.
lightweight_yank

Trad climber
Sparx
May 22, 2006 - 03:22am PT
God I know Stew. As much as I want to reach out to Janelle, as Daryl's friend, I want to protect her from gathering the wrong impression or misconstruing the context in which her father lived.

We lived in a time when climbing was a much, much more dangerous endeavour - a cutting-edge sport where egos were minimalized and accomplishments spoke loudest. And quiet heroes like our friend Daryl were cherished most.

I have often spoken privately of Daryl as the master of the vertical world, but just needing a little of our help in the horizontal. Hopefully, some day I can tell Janelle in a way that she will truly understand, about the man who was her father, the context of his life, his pain, and what he meant to us.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - May 22, 2006 - 01:25pm PT
stewart-first off thanks for 'worring or trying to protect me'....but i live with my aunt and uncle and they dont let me drink and i dont smoke or do drugs or nething...but i tend to learn from other peoples mistakes....and i choose not to chance ruining my life/future with something like that. But thanks.
so....everyone....did you guys know about my mom or did he just not talk about it....or i dunno because ive always wondered if he ever thought of us or told anyone about us...after all they did get married...which was a big step for my mom...but anyways...yea i just wanted to know...you dont have to answer if you dont want to but please? haha thanx
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
May 23, 2006 - 04:21am PT
Dear lightweight yank - that line about Daryl just about sums it all up.

Dear Janelle: I met your mother twice - once at the wedding and another time at my place. I'm not sure what else to say other than Greg met her too, but I'd have to ask around to see if anyone else met her. Before I get back to you, I'd like to say (others might disagree) that Daryl was in some ways a pretty private person - the wild man behaviour aside. In all the time I knew him, he rarely spoke to me of ANYONE that he was related to, but I suspect that underneath the legendary toughness lurked a very sensitive person who had trouble opening up to others about his feelings, but if you go back to that story of mine about the pictures in my pack, it seems obvious that he was doing what he could to cheer me up as best he could at the time.

I don't have the slightest doubt that he thought of you often, and he never told me why he broke up with your mother, but I guess that they just decided that the marriage wasn't working. Again, I'm just guessing, but when they broke up and your mother left, he felt either that it was best for you to go with her or else that he would definitely lose an expensive custody battle in court as a result of his previous scrapes with the law. Please understand that we also wondered how you were doing but, again, if Daryl didn't want to talk about something - that was the end of the discussion. Period.

I hope the above words are of some use. Perhaps he didn't think talking about this stuff would be of any use - he made his own rules. Outside of his own family, I'm pretty sure I knew him longer than anyone and can't think of us ever actually sitting and talking about anything deeply personal. By the time you showed up, I was getting ready to move to Squamish and only I saw him a few times after that.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - May 23, 2006 - 08:43am PT
yea ok..i was just wondering...i can understand that....and respect that. thanks
bachar

Trad climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
May 23, 2006 - 11:09am PT
Hi Janelle! I hung out with your Dad quite a bit in Camp 4 back in the day. I don't think he had a single enemy - everybody liked him. Super funny guy and was always nice to everyone. We definitely had some hilarious moments with hin in the Valley - he kept us all laughing. He definitely lived life to the fullest whenever he could and he was always ready to help out his bros with whatever they needed. I think I speak for everyone that knew him that we all miss him being around. I got some pretty hilarious stories about your Dad if you're ever interested but don't feel like I should put them out there for the "public" if you know what I mean. Above all I'd have to say he was a solid guy with a huge heart - never met anyone quite like him. Always remember that like your Dad, your part of a huge family of climbers just because you're a Hatten! (and that's a good thing!) cheers, john
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - May 23, 2006 - 08:03pm PT
haha awe thanks...well my last names not hatten anymore..after he and my mom split she legally changed my name to Gutting....so i dunno but on my birth certificate it says hatten so yea. yea i know what you mean about putting stuff on here and about it being public. Yea it totally seems liek i just discovered liek a whole new world talkign to all these friends of my dads and it sooo supercool. everyone has been so helpful and understanding and i still cant believe all this is happening.
doser

Mountain climber
Vancouver BC
May 24, 2006 - 02:53am PT
Hi Janelle,

Good on ya, kid, for plunging out into the world and digging a bit to understand your roots. That's an important part of becoming an adult, and you seem to be well on your way.

I was friendly with your dad and our paths crossed socially and at the base of the crags, but I never tied on and climbed with him - I'm at least 10 years older than him, and while he was headed for Squamish and Yosemite I was mostly headed for the mountains. Even granted that, however, he was the only person I've ever encountered outside my immediate family who could wish me on my way with an enthusiatic, genuine "I love you, man!", totally without embarrassment or posturing. Daryl was a really unique person, full of life, humour, and 'joie de vive', and I'd urge you to send PMs to Greg Foweraker and Stewart (Wosny) to get more stories and deeper insight into his personality and life - they both knew him extremely well and cared for him greatly.

Cheers, and may your journey be fruitful,

Don Serl
Mari Lewis

Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
May 25, 2006 - 12:43am PT
Hi, my name is Kit Lewis. I was friends with Daryl since 1975 when I met him in Squamish. We were friends for years. We climbed infquently together for many years. Daryl and I were very kindred spirits; some people calling me the American Daryl because of my similar ways. One of the finest people I've ever met in my life was Daryl and I have many fond memories of our times spent together. He was one of the most honest, gregarious souls you could ever meet. We all miss him.

Kind Regards,
Kit Lewis
Toker Villain

Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
May 25, 2006 - 01:02am PT
Just checked out this thread again, glad to see it still going.

That was a nice post John.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - May 25, 2006 - 05:56pm PT
Thanks Doser....yea i dunno this is something that i feel i have to do...my aunt and uncle(whom i live with) probably wouldnt be too pleased with it but it just something that i feel i have to do.
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
May 25, 2006 - 10:01pm PT
Dear Janelle - I feel that you have every right to ask about your father unless there is a good reason of which I am unaware to support that attitude. Still, you've got to live with your relatives, so you do what you honestly think is reasonable to defend your rights as Daryl's daughter.

Dear Kit - the circle widens. I doubt that you remember me, and forgive me if I've got the route names wrong (getting older & can't find my guidebooks yet), but I clearly remember Daryl & I were trying to link a clean line between Cookie Jar & Apron Strings around the time of the switchover from pins to nuts. I can't remember exactly where we were belayed when we saw a very young you and your partner galloping (free) up a pitch that was normally aided. Daryl and I were gobsmacked, particularly since (I think it was you) were telling your partner that the difficulty was far lower than it was in reality - nevertheless, it didn't seem to cause your partner the slightest difficulty. Even though I didn't have the faintest idea who you were, I banged off a bunch of slides of your ascent and sent them off to you when I finally found out your address (from Daryl). I have no idea whether or not you received them, but Daryl mentioned your name from time to time, and he thought of you as a great guy and a gifted climber, to boot.
Maysho

climber
Truckee, CA
May 26, 2006 - 09:51am PT
Greetings to Darryl's daughter!

I was pals with your dad in the late 70's, when I was a teenager in Camp 4. He was a consumate joker and always energetically friendly - a great guy to spend time with. After a rest day of carousing around the valley, from the caf, to the lot, to the Elephant rock swimming hole, to El Cap meadow, we would be hanging around the lodge at night. Darryl would get dinner reservations at the Four Seasons in a clever name, for the joy of hearing it boom over the intercom throughout the lodge "Ben Dover party of two - your table is ready", would send us into laughing fits as we held court on the benches outside. Your dad was also our aid climbing hero for having been on the recent second ascent of the Pacific Ocean Wall with Greg Child (then known as Java) and Kim Carrigan. You should try to get ahold of a classic old article Greg Child wrote for Mountain Magazine (I think). Maybe from 1979. It is in one of Gregs" books I am sure. Someone on this thread can give you the details. I can relate to your search, I was adopted and still have not had contact with my bio father, though I have written him a few times.

I wish you well,

Peter
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
May 27, 2006 - 08:10pm PT
Janelle: I haven't seen any new postings here lately. You probably know more about the internet chat(?) lines than I do, but if this link(?) fades away, here's some advice you may find useful: stay in contact with either your aunt Darlene or uncle Peter, since they know both Greg Foweraker and myself (I knew Darlene much better than Peter, for what it's worth).

Where Greg comes into the picture is that he knows just about everybody up here that knew Daryl well, and stuck by him through thick and thin, which is what true climbers are supposed to do.

Anyway, back to Darlene and Peter - if they feel that it is acceptable, they can get in contact with Greg to obtain his e-mail address, and mine too if you want it. Regardless, I'll check out this thread(?) from time to time to see if there's anything new.

Whatever the future holds, Darlene, please try to spend the rest of your life learning as much as you can about everything - whether you're still in school or not, living life well is all about learning about the world, how it operates and how to survive in it, and a search for the truth. You may never find all the answers, but if you keep looking, you will come closer than most people. You may also find true happiness, which is another bonus of the quest. Already, you appear to be an expert at being a good human being, so please try never to lose your kind nature however life treats you, since people like you are an endangered species these days. All the best, always.
Wonder

climber
WA
May 27, 2006 - 09:40pm PT
I just thought thought I would cheak back here too. Hey Peter, is that you who rented me the bus in little calcutta? Daryl was always fun @ the Four Seasons and the old Mt. Room. And now i'm remembering that old bong too.

If thats you Peter, how's it going? Seen Minks Lately?
Carl Austrom

Ice climber
Summerville, SC
May 28, 2006 - 11:17am PT
I meet Daryl in the spring of 1974. My father had driven me to Squamish and dropped me off at the base of the Grand Wall trail. During that time period, Squamish would not see very may climbers -- less than 6. I was sitting at the trail head for about 2 hours, when I heard a lot of noise coming from the brush, I thought it was a bear -- it was Daryl! He had been living in the caves for about 2 weeks -- he looked like a bear. He had occupied is time by solo aid climbing. He asked me if I wanted to climb "some" rock. I accepted. That day we aid climbed most of the free climbing routes a the base of Grand Wall. The next weekend Daryl and I climbed Grand Wall. Daryl was a very kind soul. I would of climbed anytime/anywhere with Daryl. He was one of the safest climbers that I have ever meet. He loved to solve technical aid problems. Daryl was a truely gifted climber. I will always remember the many climbs.
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
May 28, 2006 - 12:14pm PT
Hello Janelle. I knew your father Daryl quite well in the 1970s and 1980s, first in Squamish and then in Yosemite. He was an extraordinary man and a good friend. It was nice to read all the postings from Daryl's friends on the forum.

I helped co-ordinate the memorial for Daryl at the summit of the Stawamus Chief in September 2004. I've kept the names and e-mail addresses of those who were there, and others who knew Daryl, and will send a copy of this forum to them, together with your picture. You may get some messages from them over the next few days - Daryl was much loved and respected. And maybe some other postings will appear. I'll also send that list - names and e-mail addresses - to you privately, together with pictures from the memorial. And perhaps some stories and memories.

Whatever others may have said, Daryl was a real gem. Perhaps a bit of a rough diamond at times, but still a good man and a good friend.

I believe Daryl first climbed at Squamish in summer 1974 - that's when I first met him. He tried to talk me into climbing University Wall, when I was supposed to be enrolling in first year university. (Pun not intentional.) I never did a lot of climbing with Daryl - he was more into wall climbing, and in any case was a bit out of my league. And I was always a bit of a lightweight in the social/drinking/etc department. But we had many good times together, despite very different backgrounds. I've always found that was one of the most attractive things about climbing - it's quite egalitarian, and all that matters is that you try your best. And Daryl's best was pretty darn good.

One of the postings enquired after Eric Weinstein, also a good friend from that time, and someone who climbed a lot with Daryl. Eric died in early 1984, in northern California. He had liver cancer. He'd largely given up climbing after the second ascent of the Pacific Ocean Wall in 1977, and became sick in 1983.

As for "lightweight": I don't know when the expression originated, but it was a common epithet at the time. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Daryl did start using it, though - just like him. Not that it ever applied to him.

In 1975 Daryl and Eric did a short route on a small cliff at Squamish, which they named "Horizontally Prone". A girdle traverse, naturally. And a nice double entendre. Gordie Smaill's 1976 Squamish Chief Guide observed "This climb best describes these two fellows' drinking habits: strictly lightweights." Not quite.

Anders Ourom
Peter Haan

Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
May 30, 2006 - 01:18am PT
A friend of mine has forwarded these recollections: quote:

1. Daryl Hatten on the Triple Direct with Steve Gropp and Bob Odom

(I got this version of the climb from Steve, and the story could have
been spiced up a bit for fun.) Basically it was Steve's and Bob's
first El Cap route, and Daryl of course had lots of experience. Steve
had a lot more wall-climbing experience than Bob. Once they reached
Camp 4, they realized that there was a serious problem - their rations
were down to an apple between the three of them! Steve told me,
"Daryl had a hungry look on his face. I thought he was going to eat
me. I was determined not to be eaten. Maybe we'd both eat Odom." Bob
was the likely target as he was slowing the party down the most, which
is understandable given that he had the least experience with this
type of climbing.

Daryl did not want to starve, so he pretty much took over and went
into overdrive with a flurry of activity that got them to the top
in record time, more or less single-handedly organizing the other
two.

2. Daryl keeping a low profile.

Daryl had a habit of getting in trouble with the National Park
Service, usually over some inconsequential matter, and had on
occasion been kicked out of the park for a while. Sometimes during a
period of being persona non grata, Daryl would sneak back in using the
pseudonym "Doug Fir", usually to do a wall so he'd spend a minimal
amount of time in camp or around where he might be seen.

Once I was looking for him and asked someone, "Has anyone see Dyr ...,
I mean, Doug Fir" and everyone laughed, telling me what wall he was
on.

3. Daryl takes up cycling.

The straw that broke the proverbial camel's back was the time Daryl
rode a bicycle through a restaurant (now gone) at Yosemite Lodge
called "The Four Seasons". Daryl just went in one door, down an
aisle, and out the other, and nobody was inconvenienced. They called
the rangers anyway. People told me afterwards that Daryl had borrowed
John Bacher's bicycle and had given it back to John. When the rangers
showed up, they tried to stop John, who pretended not to hear and took
off. Then a waitress, said, "No, not him, HIM," (pointing towards
Daryl). So Daryl was nabbed.

If I remember correctly, I saw Daryl ride the bike through the
restaurant, but was inside eating dinner when the rest of it happened.
All of us just laughed.

At that point, they kicked Daryl out of the U.S., which was our
loss as he was really a wonderful person.

unquote, via Peter Haan
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
May 30, 2006 - 07:59pm PT
I thought I'd try to post a photo. It is a picture of the group at the memorial for Daryl, held on top of the Stawamus Chief in September 2004. The only people missing are Daryl's sister and brother-in-law, who didn't feel up to the hike, and of course me. Many of those who have posted stories and reminiscences of Daryl on the forum were there.

Here is what I hope is the link - http://img173.imageshack.us/my.php?image=darylmemorialgroup0lf.jpg


I'm afraid it's not a very good picture, due to limitations of the photographer, the equipment, and a cloudy evening. A better quality one was published in Alpinist X, and may be on its website.

Anders Ourom
Seattle climber

climber
Seattle
May 31, 2006 - 08:29pm PT
The above story in Peter Haan's post is pretty close. I think Daryl was a little bored, because for him the Triple Direct was pretty easy compared to the routes he had already done. When we bought our food for the climb, Daryl figured it would take us 3 1/2 days, and said we should bring just 3 days worth of food. He figured we would be OK for the part of the morning on the 4th day he expected us to be finishing up.

By the end of the 4th day we were at Camp 6, and it was clear we weren't going to finish that day. Fortunately we had plenty of water, and it wasn't hot, but we did have only one apple left. We were all getting hungry and probably a little cranky, as well as tired. We had enough light left to fix the pitch above Camp 6, which was my lead. I proceeded to bungle the easy (aid!) lead by not properly runnering the changing corners section,and got such bad rope drag that I had to break the pitch at an intermediate belay. I never knew that Steve and Daryl were thinking of eating me! When we got back to the base, we were really hungry, and hitched a ride back to Camp 4. The guy who gave us a ride had a bag of oranges, which we demolished before we reached the Camp 4 parking lot. I don't think he realized how hungry we really were!

Climbing with Daryl was a wonderful experience! He was careful, methodical and fast. I learned a huge amount from him. He was a wonderful funny guy with not a malicious bone in his body.

One of his most distinctive traits was his unique speech. I first met Daryl in 1974 at 3:00AM at the beginning of the original bolt ladder start to the Grand Wall. Rainer Burgdorfer and I planned an early start to do the Grand. We had just barely woken up, when we heard voices and gear clanking as Daryl and his partner headed through the woods to the start. We jumped up and went racing after them, getting totally lost on the approach, and grumbling about being stuck behind a "slow party." As we finally approached the end of the flake and the start of the bolt ladder, we saw Daryl about ready to cast off. He looked at us and smiled and said "Heh,man! How ya doin' man? Got lost in the woods, huh man! Heh, heh, heh!" Of course Daryl and his partner were not the "slow party" we expected!

He used to call occasionally when he passed through Seattle on his way to Yosemite. One time in particular I answered the phone and immediately heard, "Heh, man! How ya doin' man?" My response was, "Daryl! How are ya!?" His response: "Heh, man! How'd ya know it was me, man?"

Daryl is unforgettable.

Bob Odom
Anguish

Mountain climber
Jackson Hole Wyo.
Jun 1, 2006 - 06:22pm PT
Dear Janelle,
My name is Angus and I climbed Wet Denim Daydream with your father way back when. I wrote his obituary for Alpinist and will supply you with a copy (along with a minor correction). I also dug through some old negatives and have a picture of him at the base of the Pacific Ocean Wall (El Cap) ready to take off on the second ascent. I have a copy of this for you as well. It (black and white) shows him in his red bandana seated on a rock, a can of beer between his feet, a cigarette in his left hand, a joint in his right, taking a toke. Well, that's just the way we did things. (If someone can tell me how to post this somewhere, I would do so.)
Many years after we parted, Daryl wrote me a letter and asked how I was. I still am sick to my stomach that I didn't write back. Perhaps getting in touch with you will help me make up for that mistake.
Please write me at angus@jhnewsandguide.com so I can get your mailing address.
Eric Weinstein (deceased), another Canadian with whom I climbed for a couple of Valley seasons, introduced me to Daryl when your father was looking for a partner for WDD. Trying to measure up to those two men was impossible, but sure improved my climbing.
Angus Thuermer
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 3, 2006 - 12:44am PT
hey everyone sorry i havent written on here for a while..ive been busy with work and school and such. Anyways thankyou for all the great stories. It sounds liek he was an awsm guy to have a around in good times and in bad. It sounds liek he enjoyed life no matter what the situation was and could always make a crappy time fun. I think its really funny how he made up names for himself...thats funny. Anyways this is still really cool :)
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Jun 3, 2006 - 10:08pm PT
Daryl's memorial, Stawamus Chief summit, September 2004.


Those in the picture:

Front Row (left to right)
unknown, Dave Vernon, Kevin McLane, dog hindquarters, Rick Clements, Richard Alden, Tami Knight, Ward Robinson, Dave Nicol, Dave Lane, Wayne Miller, Dve Fulton, John Arts, John Howe.

Back Row (left to right)
Scott Flavelle, Joe Turley, part of a head, Gordie Smaill, Mark Gandy (? - part of head), Jim Brennan, Randy Atkinson, Greg Foweraker, Don Serl, Perry Beckham, Hamish Fraser, Dave Yerian, Rick LeDuc (part of head), Bruce MacDonald, Simon Tooley, Stewart Wozny, Bruce Kay, Errol Weis, Jim Sinclair, Peder Ourom.

I don't think they'd mind having their pictures published, and being identified. A few are missing/obscured.

Anders
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 8, 2006 - 08:40pm PT
Cool, thanks!
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Jun 8, 2006 - 11:32pm PT
Here is another photo from Daryl's memorial. We were warming up, sharing stories and pictures and stuff, before our climb.


Those in the photo:

Front Row (left to right)
Gordie Smaill, unknown, Dave Lane, Dave Nicol, Dave Vernon, unknown, Dave Fulton, Dave Yerian, dog (not named Dave).

Back row (left to right)
Mark Gandy (front), Scott Flavelle (behind), Greg Foweraker, Randy Atkinson, Daryl's sister, Daryl's brother-in-law, Don Serl, Perry Beckham, Jim Brennan, Simon Tooley, Hamish Fraser, John Arts (part of head), Peder Ourom, Bruce MacDonald, Rick LeDuc, Rick Clements.

Anders
Watusi

Social climber
Joshua Tree, CA
Jun 9, 2006 - 05:04pm PT
Hi, Daryl was definitely a great soul and a hoot!! I myself was there when he rode his (JB's)bike thru the 4 seasons!! He stopped at our table for a brief second to grab some breadsticks or the like and had us in stitches!! God bless him!
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 16, 2006 - 10:46pm PT
Hey eveyone...looks liek this forum pretty much done but i want to thankyou all for your good stories and kind words about my dad. It means alot that you took the time to help me, and trust me it helped loads. Thanks!!!!!
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
Jun 18, 2006 - 12:49am PT
All the best - have a wonderful life, Janelle.

Try to stay in touch with Darlene - she can track down most of us if needed, and

Take care, always

daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 21, 2006 - 03:40pm PT
Hey thanks/...and i will....ill chaeck back here from time to time if people will still add stuff because its awsm so put yur thinking caps on hahah jk but you know what i mean but thanks again and maybe someday ill come to bc and check it out...hopefully :) ttul buhbye
nature

climber
Flagstaff, AZ
Jun 21, 2006 - 04:17pm PT
I contacted Anguish to try and help him out and get that black and white photograph he mention posted. He responded and sent along this photo.


Included with this photo is this text from his email. I quote Angus,

"Daryl and I had just got off Wet Denim Daydream when he was set to do the 2nd ascent of PO Wall with his other friends. I remember him taking as much time to fold this red headband he is wearing as he took to worry about gear, etc. He knew he had to look good for this climb, and I think one of the pictures of him on PO Wall - in the bandana- remains among those that best identify him.
In any case, I helped hump a load up to the base of El Cap with him and one of his party. The other two were already started and on the wall. I took along an old Leica and was shooting B&W film. It might have had pinholes in the shutter and the film was likely developed in less than ideal conditions, considering I was a climbing bum at the time. Much of the role is fogged and the grain and contrast are crummy. I found the negative just after I did the obit for Alpinist. I managed to wrestle out this print with the help of a photographer here at the Jackson Hole News&Guide.
The picture needs no other explanation."
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 26, 2006 - 12:30pm PT
aww thankyou soo much thats awsm!! haha its kinda funny but foir those of you who knew him iyt would probably say alot about his character...which isnt bad obviously but he seems liek he was a good guy.
nature

climber
Flagstaff, AZ
Jun 26, 2006 - 01:54pm PT
Janelle - you're welcome. This thread is really cool. That photo is pretty classic. I had not heard of your father before this thread was posted. I've been a climber for almost 20 years - the history of climbing is important to me and the players from way-back-whenever are cool to learn about.

Cheers,
Doug
Raydog

Trad climber
Boulder
Mar 12, 2007 - 01:25am PT
Daryl Hatten was my first friend in Yosemite.

I didn't fit in anywhere and really had no friends and he was cool to me and made me feel at home.

He gave me encouragement to climb and that helped my confidence.

I was really lost and unhappy when I first got to Yosemite and he made me laugh and made me feel like I belonged.

I never forgot that.

He had style and integrity and was a sincere human being.

daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - May 7, 2007 - 03:57pm PT
hey everyone...yea i kno its been awhile since i've been here but i said i would check back. i noticed there were a few more posts on here and i just wanted to thankyou all again. It's almost like a closure to me to know a bit more about my father. thankyou all, take care and good luck in the future,
xoxo Janelle
Jaybro

Social climber
The West
May 7, 2007 - 08:05pm PT
What stich said. In my limited dealings with Daryl, he was one of those guys. Running into him was always a little like coming home.
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
May 8, 2007 - 01:22am PT
Hi again Janelle! (I'll PM you, so you know to look.)

I thought you might like the following article. It is from Mountain magazine, #61 - May 1978, and is in part about your father. Mountain magazine was then the leading English-language climbing publication.

The article is about the second ascent of the Pacific Ocean Wall, on Yosemite's El Capitan. Daryl did five or six routes on El Capitan altogether. On almost any photo of El Capitan (try google), the PO Wall is on the right, steep side - the crazy wall. When they did the PO, in June 1977, it was probably the hardest wall climb in the world, and certainly the hardest in Yosemite. A real accomplishment.

When I discovered this thread, and SuperTopo, last spring, I didn't have a scanner. But now I do, plus I thought you and others might like something more about Daryl. Hopefully Greg C won't mind my posting something in Daryl's honour.

Anders Ourom


A little OT, I've been thinking for some time about a memorial thread for Eric Weinstein. He died of liver cancer in early 1984, and was never really commemorated. I wonder if there's any interest, and enough stories and photos?
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - May 10, 2007 - 09:37am PT
wow again guys...thats soo cool....i never ever thought my dad was famous till i ran into this site...and im really glad i did. I love how much you guys have done for me,and other friends of my dads. i can't thankyou enough. p.s...IM GRADUATING SOON!!! :):)
Double D

climber
Jul 25, 2008 - 12:25am PT
I knew I had a photo of Daryl (RIP) somewhere.

Daryl Hatten "Breakfast of Champions" just prior to Vern and Margaret's wedding in TM. 'Nuf said.

Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Jul 25, 2008 - 12:32am PT
Thanks, Dave - a marvellous shot! You may want to send a note to Janelle, so she knows the thread is reviving. Hopefully her address is the same.
Toker Villain

Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
Jul 25, 2008 - 01:36am PT
What a great shot!

Damn. That brings a tear to the eye.


Berg heil, Daryl.
graniteclimber

Trad climber
Nowhere
Jul 25, 2008 - 02:49am PT
That last photo as adjusted by Picasa. Picasa works well at fixing old faded scanned photos. If in doubt just hit "I feel lucky."

Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Jul 25, 2008 - 06:11pm PT
About 20 messages back, I posted some pictures from the memorial we had for Daryl in late September 2004. It's a bit overdue, but now I'll add the backstory.

About 50 people in all attended, including Daryl's sister Darlene and her husband, and three who'd come all the way from California. It was a grey and showery afternoon. We met at the Stawamus Chief in late afternoon, and mingled, drank some beer, and swapped some stories. A chance to see many friends.

Most of us then hiked up the back of the Chief. We drank some beer and told more stories about Daryl, handing his Chouinard wall hammer from one speaker to the next. It has one notch for each grade VI Daryl had done. Jim Brennan had made a lovely wooden box for Daryl's ashes, and at the end each of us took some ashes and spread them to the winds. (Dave Yerian and friends later spread some of the ashes on the summit of El Capitan.)

We then hiked down. Scott Flavelle had cleverly brought a pickup full of wood, and suggested we have a bonfire on the old highway by Eleven Bolt Rock and Cacodemon Cave, the 'Psyche Ledge' where we all used to hang around and camp. It's now in the provincial park, so presumably fires aren't encouraged, but we did it anyway, and had quite a good time. Nightfall, and pouring rain, may have helped.

Ironically, at exactly this time, many of us were involved in opposing a proposal to build a tourist gondola on the Chief. It would have significantly changed the character of the whole area. With a lot of hard work, we were successful, and the developer backed off.

For the nostalgic, here's a photo of the site of our party, from 1978. The usual early morning scene. I don't think Daryl's in it, though.
Double D

climber
Jul 25, 2008 - 07:50pm PT
Mighty Hiker...thanks for the story. That picture says it all. Canadians at their best, eh? The only thing that was confusing...it looks like the guy strolling towards the camera on the right side of the picture is eating something for breakfast... not drinking breakfast, eh? (-;

neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
Aug 13, 2008 - 03:09am PT
hey there janelle... i just found this by way of the more recent darly hattens post....

so, you may not be around at the moment, to see this:

the time may not have been right for you to enjoy your dad when you were young... but time does do unexpected things.... i am so very glad that now you have a treasure, and one that you have searched for, out of love...

i did not know any of the climbers or your dad (my brother did climbe in yosemite, and that is why i came here)---but i do know that when a daughter or son wants to earnestly know what had been missed so dearly in there life:

the good lord has a way of answering---in his time---and in his way---a way that will richly reward your search...

god bless you so much... you are the ongoing seed of something special left by you father... and may you have a life to bring out the joys and honors that he may have longed for in ways that a father, does...
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Aug 13, 2008 - 01:35pm PT
Here's the first picture that Stewart sent me. It's of Daryl, probably in about 1974, standing in front of the Black Dyke, on the Grand Wall at Squamish.
[Photo copyright (c) Stewart Wozny, 2008]
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Aug 13, 2008 - 03:54pm PT
The person with his back to the camera is Randy Atkinson. The balding guy on the right, who looks like he's eating from a bowl of cereal, was if I remember rightly one of Daryl's friends. I don't remember seeing much of Jock at that time. I'll post more photos from Stewart as they arrive.
Anguish

Mountain climber
Jackson Hole Wyo.
Aug 13, 2008 - 03:54pm PT
Who are the other diners in Double D's picture?
Wayno

Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
Aug 13, 2008 - 07:08pm PT
I just talked to Yerian on the phone yesterday and we both said how glad we were to have made it to Squamish for the Memorial. It will always stick out in my mind as the best memorial service a person could have or be at. You Canadians are awesome folks, take pride. Wayno--one of the three yanks who had the mind to show up.
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Aug 28, 2008 - 02:48am PT
Stewart has sent me some more pictures of Daryl early in his climbing career, and asked that I post them. Here they are - hopefully I've got the captions straight. All photos copyright (c) Stewart Wozny, 2008.

"This one was taken maybe '74 or '75 and was taken near Victoria. It seems as though he's having a smoke break"

"This one had to be taken shortly after he got out of the slammer, and was taken on the same sea cliffs near Victoria. Note the Don Whillans hat (oddly enough, one of his heros.)"

"some sea cliffs near Victoria"

Daryl looks very young in the second photo, and all must have been taken in 1973 - 75. Stewart adds "there's considerable debate about when Daryl started his climbing career, but I can emphatically state that for all practical purposes that he would have qualified as a total beginner with little evidence of ability other than lots of enthusiasm. Needless to say, he turned out to be a fast learner.."
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 29, 2008 - 08:18pm PT
hey everyone WOW!!! thank you so much for the photo's thats awesome.ya this site really helped in my search to learn about who my dad may have been, or who he was. thankyou all so much. as for me, i am engaged and getting married next summer. we have boughten a house here and are quite happy. anywyas thankyou for all your posts you are all amazing!
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Aug 30, 2008 - 03:17am PT
Glad you saw the updates, Janelle. And congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

Perhaps you should save this thread, and the photos, somewhere secure. Someday Daryl's grandchildren may want to know about their grandfather.
Wayno

Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
Aug 30, 2008 - 03:33am PT
This is IMHO the best thread ever on this forum. It keeps coming back and every time it makes me smile. Janelle, your search must be bittersweet. All these good things about your father and yet you were shut off from him. We all wish you the best in whatever you might choose.
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
Sep 1, 2008 - 12:53am PT
Hi Janelle - glad you came back & sincere best wishes for your upcoming wedding.

Thought you might be interested to know that I've got a couple of Polaroids of you - one of you alone & one with your father & Greg - taken while you were very young. I don't know what happens to Polaroids when they are scanned, so I should make sure I don't wreck them before I try.

You're fully clothed, not drooling, or doing anything else to make you cringe, so if you don't mind, I can try to post them (as soon as I can locate them). Your decision, though, and they don't get posted without your OK.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 10, 2008 - 09:50am PT
haha thanks everyone. yes i have been saving them. an sure you can post them. thankyou
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
Sep 16, 2008 - 07:30pm PT
Hi Janelle. I'll post them ASAP. Try to forgive me the delay, though - I'm having a lot of trouble with my eyes these days & my photos (probably a thousand or so) are all piled into a box unsorted. I'll get onto the search soon. If my memory serves me properly, they'll probably be a bit underexposed. Sorry about not having lots more of you, but I moved to Squamish very shortly afterwards and didn't see too much of Daryl afterwards.

All the best for you in the meantime.
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
Sep 16, 2008 - 07:30pm PT
Hi Janelle. I'll post them ASAP. Try to forgive me the delay, though - I'm having a lot of trouble with my eyes these days & my photos (probably a thousand or so) are all piled into a box unsorted. I'll get onto the search soon. If my memory serves me properly, they'll probably be a bit underexposed. Sorry about not having lots more of you, but I moved to Squamish very shortly afterwards and didn't see too much of Daryl afterwards.

All the best for you in the meantime.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 17, 2008 - 12:42am PT
thats ok, ill keep checking back. actually i keep looking every day hoping for more replies so come on guys keep the stories coming haha
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Sep 17, 2008 - 12:44am PT
Janelle, you may want to look at the thread "Climbing at Squamish in the 1970s". It's currently on the front page, and is about a time when your father was very active at Squamish. There are stories and pictures, some about Daryl, but mainly about our little community then, and all the people who were there. It may give you a little more flavour regarding one part of Daryl's life, and his friends.
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=668163
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
Sep 20, 2008 - 08:28pm PT
Hi Janelle - OK - here's some stuff: I found the Polaroids of you, but they're not very well exposed. I'll ask around for ideas to improve the resolution, but try to remember that I don't know or care much about computers and I don't want to accidentally kill the images if I scan them, so please be patient.

Back to Daryl, and try to remember that he was a tough guy who wasn't particularly well known for his sensitive character traits. Your grandmother Kate as well as I knew her was very good-humoured and apparently enjoyed playing jokes on him on occasion. Anyway...

Once, we were about half-way up Zodiac wall and getting ready to go to sleep, and Daryl was taking stuff out of his pack, which I don't think he had opened since we left Victoria. I wasn't paying much attention to him until I heard him make a strange noise - sort of an amused squawk. I turned to look at him just in time to see him pulling the cutest stuffed mouse you ever saw out of his pack - by the tail. I'm sure that if he had some tongs handy, he wold have used them. Somehow I ended up with the mouse and finally gave it to your aunt Darlene at his memorial in Squamish.

Another time back when all the cool climbers wore knickers with long socks (including Daryl), I must have been visiting the Hattens around Christmas, as I remember watching him open a present from Kate. It was a new pair of knicker socks, which was fine, but these ones had individual toes in bright pastel colours - something no self-respecting climber would dare be seen in, even at gunpoint. Maybe you had to be there, but the identical expressions on his face when he discovered these surprises was priceless - the amused fury of someone who knew that his mother still loved him regardless of how tough he was.

daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 27, 2008 - 01:47am PT
haha hey everyone i told my brother about this sight and he said he even climbed with my dad...well tried to. anywyas i told him to check out this site so hopefully he;ll share his stories as well....
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
Oct 9, 2008 - 01:28am PT
Hi Janelle - the bad news is that I'm going to be out of circulation for about a week. The good news is that I got a camera store to clean up the polaroids and scan them for me. The quality isn't great, but they're not too bad. For what it's worth, you're holding something in one of them: a #9 Hexcentric. It was the first thing you grabbed in my house - a piece of climbing gear.

The other guy in the picture is Greg - one of your father's most loyal friends.

Catch you later.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 21, 2008 - 11:19am PT
oh ok , well i look foreward to seeing them!!
survival

Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
Oct 21, 2008 - 02:23pm PT
Janelle,

I didn't know your dad well, but had a couple interesting contacts with him.
It was 1977 I think, one of my first trips to the valley.
I had been partying late with some friends in Camp 4 when your dad came storming into the campsite roaring about some evil deed the rangers had commited against us poor rockclimbers and how we HAD to get back at them. He was talking about all kinds of questionable shenanigans and making a hell of a racket. I thought "Hell, this guy's going to get us all arrested!" and made myself scarce. He kind of scared me!

The guy in the photo inside the car (post 122)lighting the smoke was Bob Williams (deceased) and my partner for the Pacific Ocean Wall when we did I think the 9th ascent. Bob was with me the second time I met your dad and he was much friendlier and giving me all kinds of info about big walls I was interested in. I mentioned our previous meeting and he said "AWW man, I was just blowing off steam." or some such comment. After that first meeting, all I remember hearing about him is how hard he partied when he climbed, something we all strived for!

He was a real character and part of the fabric of Yosemite in my early days there.
Good Luck to you,
Bruce Birchell
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
Oct 29, 2008 - 12:49am PT
Hi Janelle & sorry for the delay. I checked out the scanned photos, but they are HUGE. I suppose they've got to be scaled down, but I'll have to get some advice on how to do it... tomorrow, I hope.

Computers are a bit of a mystery to me, but I'll find a way to get them to you as soon as possible. Again, my apologies for the bungling at my end.
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
Nov 18, 2008 - 09:37pm PT
Hi Janelle. I sent you the photos at your e-mail address. I hope you got them. Feel free to post them for your fans.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 8, 2009 - 11:11am PT
yes i got them! sorry i havent been on here for so long, i got them thats awesome thank you so much
Perry Beckham

climber
Mar 29, 2009 - 11:20am PT
Janelle,

I'd heard about this forum for some time and finally took the time to read through the posts.

I met Daryl on Psyche Ledge in the spring of 76. I had just hitched up from Vancouver and was planning to rendezvous with Dave for a weekend of neophyte shenanigans (it's a wonder either of us survived that first season). It was late afternoon with the western sun finally warming the Grand Wall and the forested old highway and as I approached Psyche Ledge I saw two trolls sitting in the grass doing troll stuff. I mean, they had to be trolls, they had long shaggy hair and dirty headbands and were communicating in some hard to understand language while passing a bottle of straight Dark Navy Rum back and forth. I cautiously approached them and said hello. The red haired troll responded with a gruff but cheery, "Hi, how's it going man? I'm Daryl and this is Stewart, have a drink."

So began my friendship with the late great Daryl Hatten, aka Doug Fir, Chrome Molybdenum Man, Darly Halfweenie, PO Solo or whatever colorful moniker best suited the occasion.

Daryl and I became regular climbing partners through the late seventies and early eighties. He taught me many of the fundamentals of big wall climbing and was totally trustworthy.
Daryl was also an excellent free climber and a five hour romp up the Grand via Cruel Shoes back in the mid eighties stands out in my mind. Daryl and Eric Weinstein were the strongest rockclimbing team in Squamish at that time. Among their many accomplishments was the second ascent of the PO with Java and Kim, at that time, the hardest big wall in the world.

Daryl had a sharp wit and great sense of humour. He loved plays on words. We were bivied on the Artery Ledge while starting up a cool overhanging unclimbed wall. Daryl thought it looked just like a mini Shield Headwall and suggested we call the wall "The Panty Shield". We liked that and kicked around names for our yet unclimbed route. It was quite rainy and we felt a bit amphibious in our endeavours so a frog theme emerged. I was reading some Kurt Vonnegut at the time and he made reference to a character known as the Pan Galactic Straw Boss. As we lay there mouldering in our sodden bivi gear, smoking bunk we merged the amphibian with some Vonnegut and came up with the Pan Granitic Frogman. We laughed so hard we cried.
We left ropes fixed to our high point and before I could come back to finish the route, sprained my ankle taking a sixty footer of Rainy Day Dream Away while Daryl was holding the rope. Dary went back and finished the aid route with John Simpson.

I have so many fond memories of Daryl and the one that stands out in my mind was us riding borrowed bicycles from No Name Road to the base of the Chief for a one day ascent of the complete Black Dyke. It was four in the morning and we were wearing headlamps and packs and ropes, riding down the highway. There was Daryl pedaling furiously in front of me with his shaggy hair blowing in the wind, cackling back at me, "Beckham..... You're light!....Ha Ha Ha."

Another one that comes to mind was my arriving at the Apron Parking lot some time in the late seventies to find a distraught, elderly woman looking up at the rock. Feeling real concern, I asked her what was wrong. "I wish he wouldn't do that" she wept as she pointed up at a lone figure racing up Diedre unroped in the late afternoon sun. I knew it was Daryl climbing and immediately put two and two together. Daryl was soloing Diedre for his mom, with the remains of a six pack clipped to his belt.

Daryl and I went our separate ways and I hadn't seen him for a few years. I was saddened to hear of his death but not surprised by the nature of his demise. We'd expected to hear the word of an overdose, illness or foul play that went with the lifestyle. That Daryl died trying to save a cat stuck in a tree says everything about his huge heart and good qualities.

As I stood on top of the Chief with old friends, passing around Daryl's hammer and remembering him, I couldn't help notice the lives this gruff, sometimes trollish colorful character touched and inspired. Would that we could all be so well remembered.

I feel privileged to say that I knew Daryl Hatten and that we were friends and climbing partners.

Janelle, you can be proud of your dad, we all loved him and miss him.

Perry Beckham
Squamish BC


Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Mar 29, 2009 - 08:30pm PT
Thanks, Perry - glad you've joined us here, and looking forward to more stories. The "Climbing at Squamish in the 1970s" thread may interest you - http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=668163

Bumped, to make it more likely that Perry will see it, plus SteveW has gone a bit bump-crazy.
Chris2

Trad climber
Mar 29, 2009 - 08:49pm PT
Janelle I climbed only one day with your father. Much older, he kept calling me "kid." Out of respect, I had no problem with this. At one point he asked me if I had any children, I said no. He said he did and..."no climbing and no adventure could ever compare to the love and pride that I have from the birth my child."

Those words stayed with me. When my first daughter was born, I thought of his words.
murcy

climber
San Fran Cisco
Mar 29, 2009 - 09:35pm PT
(emailed to dh's daughter that there are new posts she'll want to see)
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - May 17, 2009 - 11:22am PT
thankyou soo much!!!!!!!!!!!!! hearing /reading that brought tears to my eyes, thankyou for posting that! WOW thankyou
nooska

Mountain climber
Canada
Jul 12, 2009 - 04:05am PT
I knew your Dad,i drank with him i was shown how to climb at Fleming beach,he was WOW---- I have a climbing book that was dedicated from your Dad to me and my ex wife.You can have the book if you want.Daryl was my friend.He slept on my couch when he had now where to sleep,along time coming i will see you at the Rainbow bridge Doug.
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Jul 12, 2009 - 12:15pm PT
Bump for Daryl, and other reasons.
graniteclimber

Trad climber
The Illuminati -- S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Division
Feb 12, 2012 - 02:09am PT
bump..

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1135891/Your-Wildest-Trundle
LilaBiene

Trad climber
May 7, 2012 - 07:42pm PT
Hi Janelle!

Mighty Hiker posted a link to your story in a comment to mine. I also "found" and learned about my birth father, and his wonderful tribe, here on SuperTopo. Like your dad, mine was already gone, too. We're both blessed that there are so many wonderful people in the world willing to share their memories!

I hope you're doing well and really enjoyed reading about your road to discovering your dad as a person.

Take care!
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 21, 2012 - 02:38am PT
hey everyone, every once in a while I check back and read through all you halarious/amazing stories. Thank you all for taking the time to type them out to share with all those who did and didnt know him. I would also like to inform those who care to know that he wouldve been a grandpa last september. We had a beautiful little girl. Too bad he never will get to meet her, but one day I will tell her about him. The good and the bad haha
Thanks again for all the stories!!
And yes, from what i knew of him wasnt all good stuff but Im glad to hear that people thought highly of him, even if he was insane(haha), because he was also brave and fun sometimes i laugh out loud at some of your stories. So thank you all again and again!
Janelle
Jon Beck

Trad climber
Oceanside
Aug 21, 2012 - 09:39am PT
Congratulation Janelle, thanks for the update. I just re-read this thread during a layover in chicago and it was just as moving as the first time I read it. The human side of things make the Taco so special. Post up some pics of the little one
Jan

Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
Aug 21, 2012 - 10:05am PT
+ 10
survival

Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
Aug 21, 2012 - 10:08am PT
Doug......Doug Fir.......Classic!
Wayno

Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
Aug 21, 2012 - 11:40am PT
So happy to see this thread again. The best to you and your child, Janelle.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 22, 2012 - 12:34am PT
Thank you for all the well wishes everyone.
Greg, as for your comment my mother passed away in april of 1995.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 22, 2012 - 12:39am PT
Mighty Hiker

climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Aug 23, 2012 - 02:45am PT
There just may be a resemblance to Daryl. How astonishing - Daryl a grandfather.
Wayno

Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
Aug 23, 2012 - 02:47am PT
What is her name?
HighTraverse

Trad climber
Bay Area
Aug 23, 2012 - 12:46pm PT
awwww.....ain't she a cute little pusser!!!
I'll be remembering her pic and grinning for the rest of the day.
LilaBiene

Trad climber
Aug 23, 2012 - 09:53pm PT
She's soooo adorable!!! Congratulations!!!
Plaidman

Trad climber
South Slope of Mt. Tabor, Portland, Oregon, USA
Aug 23, 2012 - 10:12pm PT
That is one of the cutest babies EVER!!!!! Made me cry tears of joy. Thanks for posting.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 5, 2012 - 12:35pm PT
hey her name is Kaitlyn Emily. Just found out I am expecting again!! Yes shes so much fun! Love her to pieces!
Thank you!
Mighty Hiker

climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Sep 5, 2012 - 12:48pm PT
Good gravy! Daryl a grandfather, times two. How time flies.
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Apr 26, 2013 - 11:18pm PT
I just posted an account of Daryl's Tom Egan Memorial Route on Snowpatch Spire in the Bugaboos. I did a line just left of it and thought about him while we spent a couple of days up there.

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/2112425/Tom-Egan-Wall-Snowpatch-Spire-Bugaboos
rick sumner

Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
Apr 27, 2013 - 03:41pm PT
Well Daryl's daughter,what a cute little rugrat to be. Your baby now must be a crawler at least, if not a climber. I worked and climbed with your dad the summer of '79 in california. He had a tremendous sense of humor, often making me double over in laughter.Last saw him in the spring of '82 at his home turf of Squamish.
neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
Apr 27, 2013 - 09:35pm PT
hey there say, steve, very glad you bumped this... i had never seen the updates, or the new baby...

thanks for sharing :)
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 29, 2014 - 02:14pm PT
Hey everyone, just checked back, been awhile. Thanks for your posts, yes both our children are climbers!!! Hahah- our youngest (Riley- 10 months) like tongs into trouble, we have to watch him closely, always into mischief. He likes the thrill of getting into trouble- which, if I am correct is just like my dad!! Thanks again.
Greg Child

climber
Mar 31, 2014 - 05:25pm PT

Here is a picture of your Dad. I climbed the PO Wall with him in 1977. I remember him very well.
Tarheel

Trad climber
San Rafael, CA
Mar 31, 2014 - 06:17pm PT
I climbed the NA Wall with Daryl. Eric Weinstein, was my climbing partner in Yosemite spring '75. That March I was sitting in the Lodge worrying about the fact that I didn't have a climbing partner and the weather was getting really good. I was an outsider and not that talented so I had good reason to worry. Three guys walked up to me. They asked if I was Tim and then said that Eric was going to be my climbing partner. I was super lucky. We got along well and climbed together every day, doing about 50 hard routes and then climbing the Nose on El Cap.

Eric introduced me to Daryl, who had the reputation of being the best aid climber in Squamish (Eric must have been the best free climber). Daryl wanted to do something super hard, either Tis-sa-ack or the NA Wall.

We figured we did something like the 15th ascent of the NA. We were both really poor and borrowed a lot of equipment. Daryl led both the 3rd and 4th pitches in exchange for me leading the wide crack and big roof. It was amazing cleaning those pitches. Many of the pins just fell out from the tension of the rope, and most of the other didn't require a hammer. He did these super shallow stacks with a Leeper and baby angles. I don't know how he got into the top steps without his knee dislodging the stacks. He could have made it A2 with copperheads but instead did it A5 with stacks since he thought heads were cheating. He had a really strict traditional attitude towards style of ascent.

Daryl wanted to go down from Big Sur Ledge when he changed his mind about quitting smoking on the climb. It would have been easy to go down since we had fixed ropes to Easy Street for Dale Bard in exchange for him lending us an auxiliary rope. I convinced Daryl if we went down we would never come back and would regret that forever. We found some cigarette butts and rolling papers on the route, and that worked for him. He needed to have a smoke before leading a pitch.

We had an incredible adventure. I wish I had owned a camera then. I really miss Eric and Daryl, who together made that a fantastic spring for me.
thekidcormier

Gym climber
squamish, b.c.
Mar 31, 2014 - 08:42pm PT
Bump.

EDIT; Awesome picture Greg, and great story Tim.

Love hearing these old Hatten/Weinstein stories.
Greg Child

climber
Apr 6, 2014 - 11:12am PT
I'd hope that Darryl's daughter and Eric's parents get to see that photo. You Canadians should pass the pic along if you have contact with them.
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Apr 6, 2014 - 01:15pm PT
That is a classic shot Greg!

Thanks for posting it.
Wayno

Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
Apr 7, 2014 - 02:07am PT
Tim, your words really resonate with my experience climbing with Daryl. A truly spirited individual.
neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
Apr 7, 2014 - 02:08am PT
hey there say, 'darly hatten's daughter' ...wow!!!

great to see you stopped by to us all know how you are ...

very nice!

:)

happy god bless, to you and family, through the years, :)
Greg Child

climber
Apr 8, 2014 - 12:47am PT
Something I recall about Daryl that resonates with me, and which happened the day after that photo was taken... when we got to the base of the PO wall, The 4 of us (Hatten, Weinstein,Kim Carrigan and myself) were rather humbled by the looming project we'd set ourselves. Daryl took his piton hammer out from his holster and held it up like mighty Thor and banged it into a block of granite, and yelled "The PO team is here!" It got us moving. He was a driving force on that climb.
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 8, 2014 - 12:22pm PT
Oh wow!! That picture is awesome, looks to me that (from what I know/hear) that this picture captures who my dad really was. Thanks so much for sharing it, it looks professionally taken too!!
Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber
Out Of Bed
Dec 31, 2014 - 09:28am PT
Bumping
bump
BUMP!
Wayno

Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
Dec 31, 2014 - 10:05am PT
One of the best Daryl stories was the encounter with the graduation party of Squamish high-schoolers at the base of the Grand.I heard the story from the other two guys there at the time, Dave Yerian and Richard Alden. Yerian really needs to tell that story here. Dave? Cough it up, bro...

...if he isn't too busy writing that damn book. Git er' done, Dood.
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